We have had events all over the country to mark the tragic consequences of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. In the first day 20,000 on our side died and by the time it was over months later a million had died were wounded or just not found (covering both the Empire side and the Germans. I watched the memorial event at the Somme monument and it was very moving. In a number of cities here there were groups of men walking about in WW1 uniforms acting in a sense like ghosts and did so in main rail stations, etc. it was one of the worst events in military history and even with all the preparation of shelling of German lines it bogged down into a sad time.